Toms River Ordinance Would Ban Multi-Family Housing Along Route 9 Corridor

Route 9, Toms River, N.J. (Credit: Micromedia Publications/ Toms River Times)

As concerns revolving around overdevelopment in the northern and western reaches of Toms River, a suggestion by a township council member has garnered unanimous support from the governing body in the form of an ordinance introduced last week.

The ordinance would ban multi-family dwellings in numerous zones along the Route 9/Route 11 corridor in the northern portion of the township, said Councilman Daniel Rodrick, who first suggested the idea of zoning changes earlier this year. The council’s land use committee followed up with a proposed ordinance.

The proposed ordinance, which requires a public hearing and second vote before being enacted into law, would ban multi-family housing development in the Rural Highway Business Zone – the zone that is adjacent to much of the Route 9 corridor.

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“If you had 20 acres, you were able to do multi-family development,” said Rodrick.

The newly-proposed ordinance would remove that conditional use, while also changing zoning to allow for more open spaces in that portion of town.

“It’s not everything I wanted, but it’s a start,” said Rodrick, who campaigned heavily on curbing what many see as overdevelopment in the township.